


Cruisin

by ClaraKeanen



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alfred Pennyworth is Done with Bruce's Shit, Apologies to Models, Barbara Gordon can GET IT, Bruce Wayne is Secretly a Softie Who Just Needs Love, Clueless Bruce Wayne, Cruise Ships, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Harley Quinn and Barbara Gordon are BFFS now, Margaritas for Everyone, Possessive Bruce Wayne, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Water-Croquet, diner food, girl code, girls supporting girls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-08-24 07:31:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16635614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClaraKeanen/pseuds/ClaraKeanen
Summary: Misunderstandings leads to a vacation no one expected but everyone needed. Harley is thrilled, Barbara is treating herself, Hal is a flirt, Ivy will kill anyone who gets to close to Harley, Alfred is over Bruce's shit, and Bruce is a dumbass but figures it out.





	Cruisin

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Of course not!" Barbara yelled from deep within her walk-in closet. "I know how important these charity events are."

Bruce huffed into the phone. "Just be ready at 7."

"Roger that."

The phone disconnected with a sigh on Bruce's end. Barbara, on the other hand, was too aflutter to notice. Sure, it had taken five years, highly intensive spinal surgery, long hours working support for the family and the League, but as she held the fitted black dress in her hands, it had all paid off.

If Barbara was in the mood to be honest with herself, then she'd probably have to admit that she'd had a crush on Bruce since they first met. Granted, he was ten years older than her, but underneath all the intrigue and "Bruce Wayne-ness" was a good man with a good heart. That, and he has amazing abs. And those eyes - 

Barbara shook her head.  _Focus._

In any case, in the twelve years they’d known each other, he'd always treated her like a sibling, or a teammate, or a supervisor. Never as a  _person_ , as someone he really wanted to know more about. Sure, he knew her damage, but he never let her in to know his. 

That's why when he called up, asking if Barbara would be willing to attend the Wayne Enterprises Semi-Annual Gotham Beautification Charity Ball and Silent Auction, she'd leapt into action. She had purchased the dress a few years ago; it was a fully supportive and slinky little black dress with a wide open back, and there hadn't been an opportunity that deserved the dress.

Not until tonight.

Barbara glanced over at her clock.  _T-minus two hours. I got this._

__

Knocking her foot into the kickstand, she settled her bike onto the ground in front of the Manor. Whipping off her helmet, Barbara took one last look at her wavy hair in the sideview mirror of her bike, pulled down the skirt of her dress, and made her way towards the front door. 

The door was partially ajar, and a bright light spilled out towards the parked limousine waiting in front of the manor. Beaming, Barbara reached for the door - 

Only for the door to open of its own accord, revealing a statuesque brunette glowering at her.

The woman turned and yelled. "Bruce honey, I think the babysitter's here!"

Barbara's insides froze as a burning sensation filled her stomach and the smile dropped from her face.  _Oh no._

She heard Bruce's laughter as he approached the door. Stepping to the side, he nodded at the woman before turning to look at Barbara. 

He didn't even miss a beat.

"Barbara! Great, thanks so much for being willing to  _watch over_  everything," he smiled, accentuating his words so crisply they cut.

Swallowing, Barbara raised her eyes and smiled forcefully in return. "Not a problem."

"Excellent, excellent," Bruce chuckled. Turning his head to the side, he nodded towards the door. "Ladies?"

A cacophony of giggles approached the door as another dozen or so perfect-looking women exited the Manor and brushed past Barbara into the night. Another woman snuck up behind Bruce, and he disappeared into the flow of women, letting himself be swept into the waiting limousine. The last woman to enter, the brunette who had opened the door, closed the limo's waiting door with a loud thud, and the car tore away into the night.

Barbara's shoulders slumped the moment it was out of sight. 

"Ahem," a quiet voice muttered behind her. Barbara turned to find herself face to face with an apologetic looking Alfred Pennyworth. 

"Are you all right, Ms. Gordon?"

She felt her face heat up. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I feel that I must apologize for Master Wayne's behavior. I'm sure that any embarrassment and misunderstanding was not intended."

"Yeah," she whispered to herself. "I'm sure."

Alfred was silent for a moment before stepping back. "Do you need any assistance getting situated this evening, Ms. Gordon?"

"I'll be fine, Alfred. Thanks though." With that, Barbara stepped past Alfred and made her way towards the hidden entrance to the Bat Cave, not wanting Alfred to see just how shiny her eyes had become.

__

"Are you sure you hafta go?"

Ivy shut her luggage with a click. "We've been over this, Harley. It's easy money. Besides, I won’t be gone that long."

Harley sighed, shoulders slumping towards the ground. "I know, I know, but a whole month on this guy's yacht? What if he's some sort of creepazoid?"

Ivy shrugged, face impassive. "He probably will be. In fact, most of the attendees are. But work is work."

Harley sighed again, louder this time, resting her chin on her fists. "I guess," she muttered darkly. 

Turning, Ivy slunk towards the door, suitcase in hand. "Try not to get too worried if I'm not home on time, dear. It just means that I probably got tied up. Or Maxwell Lord did," she smirked to herself. 

"Okay, well, have a nice time - "

Ivy passed through and shut the door without a second thought.

Groaning, Harley flipped back onto their bed and sighed. "Babe.”

__

Barbara had just finished shrugging on her suit when the alarm went off. Rushing over, she pressed a button on her communicator. "Alfred, it looks like Harley's been spotted by the harbor. I'm headed over."

"Will you require back-up assistance, Ms. Gordon? I'm certain Master Grayson and Miss Korri could - "

"No, I should be fine, but I'll keep you posted."

Barbara made her way down to the pier in record time. Leaping off of her bike, she raced down the boardwalk past all the open bars towards the far end, where a lone figure was sitting in the dark. Sliding to a stop, she placed her hands on her hips and schooled her face into a defensive stance. "Harley Quinn, whatever you're doing - "

The villainess turned and shrugged. "Oh, hey Batgirl."

Barbara stopped speaking abruptly. "Harley?" She asked again, this time with a furrow in her brow. "What are you doing?"

Harley just shrugged in reply. "Nothing much. I was going to rob a jewelry store, but I just don't feel like it."

Now Barbara's frown was in full effect. Walking the final steps towards the end of the pier, Barbara slowly sank to her knees and sat next to her. "Is everything okay?"

Harley sighed, kicking a foot out, interrupting the calm ocean waves. "Not really."

"What's wrong? Is it the Joker?"

She shook her head. "Nah. Me and Mr. J called it quits almost a year ago. Haven't seen him in forever."

Barbara was, for once in her life, completely shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah. He's a bad man. Hurt a lot of people. Me, you – I'm sorry about your spine, by the way, Babs."

Ice flooded Barbara's veins. "I - "

"I never told him, who youse was, if youse is worried about that." Harley leaned in and whispered. "Girl code, ya know? Ladies got to stick together."

Barbara couldn't move for a few moments. She turned to look at the water, thoughts racing through her mind. Finally, she reached up, and slowly removed the small mask covering her eyes. "Thanks, I – I appreciate it," she managed. Turning her head, Barbara took a good, long look at Harley. "What's going on, Harley?"

Harley sighed again, louder this time. "I dunno, I think I's being dumb, is all. You know, me and Ivy, we got somethin' good. She's the prettiest, nicest, bestest gal in the whole wide world. But sometime, you know, she has to use her kissing powers and stuff to get stuff, and - " Harley cut off and kicked the water again, before speaking. "I just wanted her kisses and stuff to just be for me."

Barbara huffed and shook her head. "I know what you mean."

Harley glanced up at her, eyes wide. "You do?"

She nodded, before joining in the water kicking. "Yeah. There's this guy – and I guess I thought that maybe, maybe he finally saw me, you know?" Snorting derisively, Barbara shook her head. "I guess I was wrong."

Harley leaned her head against Barbara's shoulder with a thunk. "That's the pits, Babs."

"Tell me about it."

The two women sat in silence for some time, lost in their own thoughts. "You wanna get some ice cream?" Harley asked finally.

Setting her mask back over her eyes, Barbara nodded. "Ice cream it is."

__

Ice cream turned into margaritas, which turned into dancing at one of the random clubs on the pier, which led to a very early and slightly drunk breakfast near the bus depot with a nervous-looking waiter.

"You know," Harley began, slurping down her milkshake, "why do they get to have all the fun?"

Barbara shrugged while eating her waffle, the after-effects of the margaritas helping to ease the interior anxiety she had about what in the hell Bruce's reaction would be to her clubbing with Harley Quinn.

"Ivy with her yachts, and your guy with his parties and models! We should get to have fun too!" Harley yelled, slamming her fist on the table, upsetting the syrup container.

Frowning, Barbara readjusted her mask slightly. "And what exactly do you have in mind?"

A large bus honked outside. Harley turned to look and found herself looking at a large advertisement for Ferris Cruises.  _Tropical cruise through the Bahamas, leaving every Friday from Miami! Call to make your reservation today!_ The large lettering on the side of the bus read.

Harley turned back to look at Barbara, a large grin on her face. "Get packed, Batsy. We're going on a cruise!"

__

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

"For the twentieth time, Barbara, I don't mind! I've been begging for you to take a vacation for two years now - "

"But two weeks is a really long time - "

"And thankfully we have cell phones so I can call you if there's an emergency," Frankie berated from the other side of the phone call. "But there won't be. Relax. Gordon Energy will be just fine without you."

Barbara winced at her stern tone as she dragged her duffel out of the back of her taxi. "Thanks, Frankie. I know this is kind of sudden - "

"I'm hanging up before you apologize again. Goodbye and HAVE FUN!" Frankie, current President of Gordon Energy, subsidiary of Palmer Technologies, hung up. 

"Have fun, have fun, have fun," Barbara muttered to herself over and over again like a mantra. Maybe it was the margaritas, or the lack of sleep, but it had taken almost nothing for Harley to convince Barbara to go on a cruise. 

_Besides,_ her inner rebel had added,  _Bruce will throw a fit._

Nodding to herself, Barbara threw her duffel over her shoulder and made her way to the airport. After sprinting through security, Barbara made her way to the Ferris Air shuttle flight, rapidly texting her dad to let him know her plans. She was in the middle of composing a text to Alfred when she heard a loud shriek.

A blonde blur appeared out of the corner of her eye and Barbara suddenly found herself being hugged by Harley Quinn. "Babs! You made it!"

She tapped Harley on the arm hesitantly. "I told you I would."

"I know, I know, I just got worried! Eeeeee, this is gonna be great!" Squealing, Harley squeezed her one last time before releasing Barbara from her embrace. "Tropical vacay, here we come!"

___

A sudden flood of light dragged Bruce Wayne from a very restless slumber. Groaning, he turned on his side and stuffed his face into his pillow. "What time is it?"

"Ten A.M., sir."

"I said I was not to be disturbed until one, Alfred," Bruce replied through gritted teeth.

"Apologies, sir. Your guests are demanding your presence."

Bruce pulled himself into a sitting position with a loud groan. "You've never woken me up for them before."

A fluffy towel smacked his face. "They are your concern, Master Bruce. Not mine." Bruce could practically  _hear_ Alfred's displeased glare.

Frowning, Bruce snatched the towel off his face. "Fine," he spat.

"Excellent," Alfred nodded, his face completely devoid of emotion, before turning on his heel. "I'm afraid the hot water isn't working this morning, so if you're going to shower, you'll have to be quick about it."

Bruce's eyes narrowed as he watched Alfred's retreating back. Something was clearly bothering him. He'd have to question Alfred later. Right now, he had a rather unpleasant morning to get through.

A symphony of grating giggles floated through the wall, and Bruce groaned. What a perfect morning, indeed.

___

"All right boys," Hal Jordan called out, stepping out of the bus. "This is it!"

Loud whoops tore through the air as the 78th Air Force Special Ops Division Delta Squad spilled out from behind him. It had been a small miracle that all nine guys were available for the same two-week period, so Hal was determined it wouldn't go to waste. 

"You ready, Sergeant?" Benny asked, smacking him on the back as he exited the bus.

Hal turned to face him with a grin, the green ring on his finger humming. "I was born ready, Lieutenant."

Benny grinned back before grabbing hold of Hal's hand and squeezing. "All right, men!" He yelled, getting the others to attention. "Last one on board buys the first round of shots!"

Cheering wildly, the men grabbed their bags and raced towards the cruise ship.  _Yeah,_ Hal thought to himself as he watched Charlie deck Justin on his way up the ramp,  _this'll be a trip to remember._

____

"I just can't believe they still had a suite open," Barbara remarked as she stepped into the room.

Harley momentarily paused her litany of amenities to bounce up and down. "I know, right? Isn't this the best?"

Barbara smiled softly as she looked out the window at the gorgeous view. "Yeah. You did well, Harley."

Squealing, Harley attacked Barbara with another hug. Pulling back, she tossed the visitor's guide at Barbara. "The introductory shuffleboard and water-croquet course starts in only ten minutes, so youse needs to get changed, stat!”

Frowning, Barbara began to flip through the activity book. "Water-croquet?"

"No time!" Harley shrieked, pushing her towards the bathroom. "Water-croquet awaits!"

__

Five hours later, Barbara was about ready to fall over. Harley had been enthusiastic about the shuffle-board and water-croquet course – going so far as to nab one of the croquet mallets and burrow it under some towels in their room but hey, this was vacation – and then Harley had proceeded to drag Barbara through the casino and the internet café, finally coming to a stop to listen to the on-board Mariachi band play over tapas and margaritas.

"Do you want anything?" Barbara asked, leaning over the table. Harley shook her head with a grin, tapping her feet in time to the maracas.

Standing up, Barbara turned to head to the bar and instead found herself face to face with a very tall, very broad chest.

She felt her face flush red. "Sorry!"

"No worries, sweetheart," the man said, leaning backwards. "Any girl that looks like you can - "

Barbara looked up, and the man's voice died down. "Gordon?"

"Hal? Hal!" Grinning, Barbara threw her arms around Hal Jordan, who caught her and spun her around. She squealed, hanging onto his gaudy Hawaiian shirt for dear life.

"Barbara Gordon! What are the odds?" Setting her back down, he stepped back to take a closer look at her. "Yep, gorgeous as always. What are you doing here?"

"I'm on vacation!" She grinned, tossing her long red hair over one of her pale shoulders. "What about you?"

"Same!" He yelled back. "I'm here with my old troop!"

"That's awesome!"

"Yeah! Is Grayson with you?"

Barbara winced slightly. "Actually - "

"You made a friend!" A blonde popped out from behind Barbara. "Harley Quinzel, nice to meet ya," she beamed, sticking out her hand.

Hal stuck his hand out in reply, looking at Barbara in concern. "Harley Quinzel."

"Yep!" Harley squealed and swung her legs over the table so she was facing Barbara and Hal. 

"Harley. Quinzel." He repeated, eyes narrowing.

Harley's smile faltered for a moment. Barbara, seeing her falling face, stepped in front of her slightly and smiled at Hal. "Yep! We're on a girl's trip."

Hal nodded, sensing to question further would be to invite trouble. "All right then. Excellent. Well, nice to meet you Harley."

"Well, hello!" Justin came to a stop behind him. "And who might you two lovely ladies be?"

"Friends, and off-limits, Rogers," Hal swatted at him.

"Friends, huh?" Justin grinned at him slyly. Turning to look at Barbara and Harley, he bowed low. "Would you ladies do us poor vets the honor of your company?"

"Yeah, you should join us," Hal replied, turning to look at Harley and Barbara.

"Yes!" Harley squealed loudly. Grabbing Barbara's hand, she raced off after Justin, a slower Barbara in tow. 

Barbara turned to face Hal.  _We'll talk later_ , she mouthed.

_Deal_ , he replied, and then took off after the group.

__

"So, Barbara Gordon is on a vacation with Harley Quinn," Hal remarked to Barbara two days later. They were laying by the pool after a rather athletic game of water-croquet. Harley and the rest of the guys were still at it, and she was taking no prisoners. Barbara had opted to sit out after that first round, and Hal had volunteered to join her – mainly so they could talk alone, but also because hey, she was gorgeous in that black string bikini, and he wasn't blind. 

"Yup." Barbara smacked her lips together before taking a sip of her strawberry-flavored smoothie. 

“Is this some sort of undercover op?”

“Nope.”

“Long-term sting operation?”

“No.”

“Maybe it’s a deal with the devil gone bad?”

“No, Hal, it’s just a trip.”

“Huh.” Hal slid his sunglasses down his nose, peering suspiciously at Barbara. “Would this have anything to do with a certain bat-faced millionaire we both know and love?”

Barbara didn’t respond this time, opting instead to slurp her smoothie loudly through her straw.

“What happened?”

Groaning, she tossed her sunglasses off her face, turning to glare at Hal. “Look. He invited me to go to this charity event, so I figured it was as his date. It turns out that he invited me to go to the event  _on duty,_ but I didn’t realize this until I was standing outside his house in a cocktail dress and watching him drive off with a dozen lingerie models.”

Hal frowned at her sympathetically. “That sucks.”

“It’s fine,” she shrugged, trying – and failing – to appear nonchalant. “I ran into Harley on patrol, we got drunk, and before I knew it she’d convinced me to go on a cruise.”

“I still can’t believe that,” he shook his head, turning his gaze on the pool where Harley was trying – and failing – to drown Robin, to Nick’s immense amusement. “Does he know?”

She didn’t respond. He turned back to look at her and burst out laughing at the small, devious smile on Barbara’s face. She began slurping on her smoothie again, looking for all the world like the innocent little spring-breaker Hal knew she wasn’t. “Damn, Barbara. You’ve got some balls on you.”

“Well,  _technically_ she doesn’t yet, but I will  _gladly_ help change that if it’s something you’re interested in.” A dripping Justin popped out from behind Hal’s chair. Barbara choked on her smoothie, her face flushing bright red.

Laughing, Hal smacked him with his towel. “You’ll have to beat me to it, Rogers!”

“Done and done!” Justin stepped around Hal, lifted Barbara out of her chair in one fell swoop, and raced towards the pool. Barbara squealed, pounding her fists against his back. At the sound of Barbara’s shrieks, Harley turned around from her spot in the pool and began jumping up and down excitedly.

“Over here!”

“DUNK HER!”

“JUSTIN, DON’T YOU DARE -”

Chuckling, Hal reached for his phone and snapped a quick picture. “Oh man, Bruce is going to hate this.”

\--

“Master Wayne, I think you’ll want to see this.”

Grumbling, Bruce brushed aside his newspaper and took the cell phone from Alfred’s outstretched hands. He moved it within his line of vision and frowned. “Hal Jordan’s Instagram? Alfred, why are you showing me this?”

“Just scroll.”

Rolling his eyes, Bruce began swiping through the pictures. “Alfred, what exactly am I supposed to be looking -”

His finger froze on the screen. There, in all its Valencia-toned glory, was Barbara in a black-string bikini sitting next to Hal Jordan, who was looking at her like the sun rose with her smile, and sitting on her lap, pressing a kiss against her cheek - 

“Is that Harley Quinn?”

“It would appear so, Master Bruce.”

His coffee mug shattered in his hand. “What the hell is she thinking?”

“She’s a smart woman, Master Bruce. I am completely confident in her ability to  _watch over_  things.” Bruce looked up at Alfred, who was staring at him disappointedly. Sniffing, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

Pursing his lips, Bruce looked down at the photo again, at the way Hal was gazing at Barbara, at the way Barbara’s hair almost glowed in the sunlight, and felt a cold sweat break out across his body.

_Fuck._

\--

“Ivy, gorgeous, are you sure you don’t want some more wine?”

Ivy hummed, angrily skimming over Harley’s Instagram feed. “No thank you, Max.”

“What about some sushi? Perhaps a nice chocolate cake -”

“I said no thank you, Max!” She screeched.

He was so far gone that he didn’t even flinch at the tone. “Well, sweeting, if you need anything, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Ivy’s fingers froze on the phone, a devious smirk appearing on her face. “Anything?”

\--

Laughing, Barbara sat down next to Harley with a sigh. Charlie had just challenged both Hal and Robert to a dance-off, so all the boys of the Delta Squad were currently tearing up the dance floor. Hal, well into his fifth mixed drink, sent Barbara off to get more shots, and she was only to happy to give her aching feet a break. “Can you believe we’ve already been here  _nine days?”_

Harley downed another bright green shot with smile. “I know! I wanna live on this cruise!”

“You and me both.”

“Although,” her face began to droop a little, “I think I’d miss my Ivy.”

Something inside Barbara’s chest pinched. Smiling sadly, she leaned closer to Harley. “I know what you mean.”

“And, don’t get me wrong, Batsy, this trip’s been a real good time, but – I still miss her, that’s all.” Harley slumped over the bar, empty shot glasses spilling off of the sides.

Sighing, Barbara reached over and patted her arm comfortingly. She opened her mouth, about to offer some words of comfort, when a loud whistle pierced the air. Frowning, Barbara turned around and gaped.

“Batsy? What is it? What -” Harley turned around and flushed bright red.

Walking straight towards them was a furious looking Pamela Isley. “HARLEY!”

Harley’s face broke into a wide smile. “Ivy -”

“What on EARTH are you doing? Give me ONE good reason why I shouldn’t kill this bitch right here, right now!” She said, pointing angrily at Barbara. 

“I -”

“She was only trying to cheer me up, Ivy,” Harley pleaded. “I was missing you, that’s all -”

“I was only going to be gone for a MONTH -”

“She’s my FRIEND! And I was JEALOUS, OKAY?" Harley snapped, completely catching Ivy off guard. “You were gonna go party and give your kisses and stuff to someone else, and it made me sad, so I invited Red to go on a trip with me to get my mind off it! You have no right, none, to be -”

Barbara was certain Harley was working her way up to a great point, but Ivy surged forward before she could finish, wrapping her arms around Harley and kissing her like she was trying to stimulate photosynthesis by stealing Harley’s oxygen supply. She pulled back as quickly as she’d captured Harley’s lips, a small smile on her face. “Why didn’t you just say so, crazy? I don’t want to give my kisses to anyone else either.”

“Really?” Harley gasped, a bright beam on her face.

“Really. If you’d told me earlier, we could have just poisoned him and taken over the yacht together. Sort of like a romantic getaway,” Ivy murmured, pressing her lips into Harley’s cheek. Harley just giggled, wrapping her arms around Ivy.

Hal ran up from behind Ivy. “Babs, you okay?”

Barbara waved her hand. “Shush!”

He frowned at her. “What -”

“This is ADORABLE, so stop talking Jordan!”

“You know,” Ivy said, completely ignoring Hal and Barbara, “Maxy still has the yacht for another two weeks. How about you cut this vacation short and come with me?”

“Yeah - wait; how did you get here anyways?”

Ivy sniffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “I just convinced Maxy to let me use his private helicopter. Simple as that.”

Harley giggled again, nodding. “Well, I’d love to – oh, wait!” She turned to Barbara, a worried look on her face. “Is that okay, Babsie?”

Barbara grinned, nodded slowly. “Of course, Harley. I’ll be just fine. Besides,” she stood up and nodded at Ivy, “one of us should get our happily-ever-afters."

Grinning, Harley extracted herself from Ivy’s arms and threw them around Barbara. “Thank you thank you THANK YOU!” She kissed Barbara quickly on the cheek with a squelching smack. “I owe you one!”

Barbara hugged her back quickly, conscious of the look Ivy was shooting her. “Of course! And next time, you should bring Ivy with you.”

“I don’t know -”

“IT’S A DATE!” Leaping away from Barbara, Harley grabbed Ivy by the hand, and the two ladies raced their way out of the bar and into the night. “See ya later, boys! Until next time, Red!”

The Delta Squad laughed and waved after the pair, cheersing them as they disappeared from sight.

“That was weird.”

“That was  _sweet_ ,” Barbara shot Hal a look. Then, sighing, she looked down on the empty chair next to her. “It’ll be weird being here alone, though.”

A devious grin made its way onto Hal’s face. “I think I can help take care of that.”

Groaning, Barbara made a move to shove Hal away, but followed him onto the dance floor anyways. And as Hal pulled her close, she forced all thoughts of Harley and Ivy and happily-ever-afters and  _him_ out of her mind, focusing instead on the teasing hands that grasped hold of her waist.

_Only five more days, Gordon. Might as enjoy them._

\--

“Master Bruce -” Alfred stuck his head into Bruce’s office, just in time to see Bruce fumble with his cell phone, trying – and failing – to set it on his desk as nonchalantly as possible.

Alfred swallow down a snort, trying his best to look disinterested. "Jean Hudson from the Miss America Pageant is on the line. How many seats would you like reserved in your name?”

“When is the event again?”

“This weekend, sir.”

Bruce hummed to himself, drumming his fingers on his desk. Alfred  _knew_ he was making a big show out of making his decision, just like he  _knew_ that Bruce knew when the event was and already had plans in mind, but the butler went along with the charade anyways. “Nine.”

“Nine, sir?”

“Yes, please. And all with V.I.P. access.”

“Of course, sir. Should I arrange for departure from Gotham International on Friday?”

Clearing his throat, Bruce shook his head. “That won’t be necessary, Alfred. I have other plans in mind.”

\--

Sighing, Barbara shut her suitcase with a quiet “click”. The days had flown by since Harley left the cruise, and while Hal did his best to keep her distracted, she couldn’t escape her feelings of dread at the knowledge that this vacation was soon coming to an end. Because the sooner the cruise ended, the sooner she had to go back to Gotham, and the sooner she’d have to face Bruce’s - well, she wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, but it probably wasn’t going to be good.

Hell, she’d even briefly considered just staying on board the cruise ship, but when she’d told Hal her idea, he just gave her this weird look before confiscating her credit card. (Like she didn’t have the number memorized or something.) Still, it was probably for the best.

She quickly readjusted her white sundress before setting the matching sun-hat on her head. With one final glance around the cabin, Barbara grabbed hold of her suitcase and made her way towards the docks.

\--

“Two weeks, and you didn’t seal the deal?” Justin joked, shoving Hal in the side. The Delta Squad had just checked out and were making their way down the boardwalk. “What, you get slow in your old age or something?”

Shaking his head in laughter, Hal rounded stepped off the walkway just in time to see a stretch limousine pull up to the visitor’s concourse. “Or something,” Hal replied, sighing inwardly.

The door to the limousine opened slowly, and out stepped a perfectly tailor and slightly bored looking Bruce Wayne.

“Whoa, is that – is that Bruce Wayne?” He heard Nick gasp out from behind him.

Bruce turned to face the squad at the sound of his name, that perfectly predatory smile on his face. “Hal Jordan!” He exclaimed, walking purposely towards Hal. “What a pleasant surprise!”

“Wait, you know Bruce Wayne?”

Ignoring Nick, Hal reached out and shook Bruce’s hand, squeezing much, much harder than what was necessary. “Brucie, nice to see you! What brings you to Miami?”

Bruce shrugged lazily, waving his free hand in the air. “Business, as usual. But actually, hey, I’m glad I caught you. I’m still so, so sorry I missed your birthday -”

“His birthday’s next week,” Robin muttered to Justin.

“ -so I figured I’d make it up to you. See that limo?” He said, pointing back at the gorgeous car. “That limo is all set to take you and your friends here to Atlantic City for the weekend.”

The guys behind Hal started whispering excitedly. He frowned, moving his weight back on his heels. “What’s in Atlantic City?”

“Not much – casinos, strip clubs, oh, and the Miss America pageant. I’ve secured you and your, uh,  _squad_ here VIP seats to the whole weekend.”

_Now_ the guys had started all but shouting at Hal. 

“Miss America Pageant?!”

“VIP! VIP!”

“We gotta do it, man -”

“ - once in a lifetime -”

“Of course, if you’re not interested,” Bruce practically sang, a small smile on his face, “I suppose I can head there myself.”

Justin stuck his head out from behind Hal, a large smile on his face. “Hi, yes, Mister Wayne, the name’s Justin, I’m Hal’s second-in-command here, and I would say yes, yes we’re very interested.”

Chuckling, Bruce eyed Hal, a peculiar  _look_ in his eyes. “It appears your men have spoken, Jordan. What do you say?”

Hal sighed inwardly. He should have known – this was Bruce, after all. It was only a matter of time until he figured it out, and as much as he liked Barbara, he didn’t want to be standing between Batman and  _anything,_ even something so wonderful as her.

“Well, I say,” Hal paused for dramatic effect, grabbing hold of Bruce’s shoulder and squeezing – again, much harder than what was necessary - “Atlantic City, here we come!”

Cheering, the boys rushed towards the limo, Justin all but throwing Hal’s luggage back at him in a race to see who could get there first. Hal just chuckled, albeit painfully, as the Squad disappeared into the limo.

“Figured it out, huh?” He murmured, his eyes falling back towards Bruce. The lines around Bruce’s eyes tightened as his smile turned into a glare. “I suppose it was only a matter of time. I mean, you are the World’s Greatest Detective, after all -”

“Jordan,” Bruce hissed warningly. 

“Ah, there’s the Bat I know and love,” Hal replied with a laugh. “But seriously, Wayne?” Hal drew close to Bruce, his eyes narrowing slightly, “If you ever screw that up, I’ll be there and stealing her away before you can say ‘kryptonite’.”

“You  _do_ know that’s not my weakness -”

“It’s a colorful threat, Bruce, don’t overanalyze it.”

Nick stuck his head out of the limo, anxiously waving towards Hal. “Dude, are you coming? The champagne’s almost gone!”

Sighing, Hal forced a smile on his face before clapping Bruce on the back. “See you at work, buddy.” With that, he made his way towards the limo, scooted himself in, and prepared himself for a long weekend of forgetting about the future Mrs. Wayne.

\--

“Thank you so much for your help,” Barbara smiled at the bellman. The young man just flushed at her, nodding several times before walking away.

Pulling the handle up on her suitcase, Barbara began her stroll towards visitor’s pick up. She’d requested a taxi the minute she left her suite, so her ride should be pulling up any moment now -

Something grabbed hold of her hand.

Shrieking, she pivoted quickly, finding herself firmly pressed against a suit.

“Perfect, I was looking for that.”

Her heart froze at the sound of that voice. Peering up, she saw none other than Bruce Wayne’s stormy blue eyes gazing down at her.

_Just breathe, Gordon. This is fine. Everything is fine, you haven’t been in love with him for ten years, there’s no need to panic -_

_“_ I’m sorry?” She squeaked.

_Nice._

_“_ This,” Bruce said, squeezing the hand that he was holding. “This belongs to me.”

Barbara frowned, trying to step backward. Bruce just tightened his grip, effectively preventing her from moving. “Bruce, I don’t -”

Suddenly he was leaning down and kissing her, hard, as if he was trying to devour her, to claim her on that very sidewalk that they were standing on. Barbara’s legs all but gave out from under her at the sensation. Growling, he just lifted her higher into his arms, using the new position to plunder his tongue deeper into her mouth.

“Bruce,” she gasped between kisses. “Bruce –“

He pulled back from her with a moan almost too quiet to hear. “I believe there’s been a misunderstanding between us that I’d like to rectify.”

“I –“

“The last few weeks have proven to me that I’ve been going about things the wrong way. And the more I’ve thought about it, the more I realized that there’s only one person I’d really ever care to take to charity balls with me in the future. And, if she’d be so inclined, I’d like it to be only her from now on, and ideally, for the rest of her life.” Bruce lifted up her chin so that his raw, crystal blue eyes were staring directly into hers. “Please tell me I’m not too late.”

Barbara shook her head. “Please. I’ve waited ten years, Bruce Wayne. A couple weeks didn’t change a thing.” 

“Good. Make sure you tell Jordan that the next time you see him.”

“Hal?” She frowned. “What does he have to –“

Bruce just leaned forward and kissed her again, all thoughts of confusion or flirty Green Lanterns effectively chased out of her mind. This time, the kiss was soft and sweet, and Barbara felt like she could drown in the pure  _love_ of it all. 

Humming, Bruce broke away from her and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “What do you say we head home?”

Barbara just grinned, kissing him lightly on the cheek. “I’d love nothing more.” 

**_One Year Later_ **

Bruce stood at the foot of the steps, tapping his foot impatiently. “We needed to leave ten minutes ago -”

“And she will be down in just a moment, I’m sure of it,” Alfred replied, rolling his eyes. “Besides, didn’t you say this charity event was rather boring last year?”

“Yes, but -” the words died in Bruce’s mouth as his eyes were drawn to the top of the staircase. Barbara smiled down at him, and for a moment, Bruce forgot how to breathe.

“A lovely selection as always, Miss Gordon,” Alfred replied smoothly behind him.

Bruce could only stare.

Dressed in a fitted turquoise silk – the sweetheart neckline, the straps falling off of her shoulders, the tight, sheer material leaving little to the imagination – Barbara was a vision.

“Thank you, Alfred,” she replied with a smile, carefully stepping her way down the staircase. “I almost feel like the little mermaid.”

Alfred nudged Bruce sharply. Bruce just coughed, attempting to clear his throat, to get some semblance of vocal control back. 

Barbara came to a stop in front of him, her eyebrow quirked teasingly.

“You - you -” Growling, Bruce swept forward and claimed her in a passionate kiss.

“Poetic as always, Master Wayne.”

\--

“You know, these events seem a lot less exciting when you’re actually here in person,” Barbara whispered to Bruce. He just snorted into his drink.

“On the contrary, I’m enjoying myself much more than I was last year. The company is much better.”

Barbara flushed bright red, and Bruce’s blood grew hot at the sight, wanting to chase that blush down -

“How would you like to relocate for the evening?”

She turned to face him, grinning devilishly. “I was thinking the exact same thing.”

\--

“This is not exactly what I had in mind.”

“Hush and eat your pancakes.”

The door to the dingy diner swung open suddenly. “ - Ivy, the easiest heist we’ve had in -” The newcomer froze at the sight of Bruce and Barbara. “BABSIE!”

“Harley?” Barbara frowned. A small smile appeared on her face and she jumped up, racing over to hug Harley. “Harley! It’s so good to see you!”

“Ooooo look at you!” Harley squealed. “So dressed up and fancy!”

A sparkle flashed in Barbara’s eyes, and she grabbed hold of Harley’s hand. “No, look at you! Did you two -” She peered behind Harley to see Ivy smiling at her. Ivy held up her own hand, revealing the matching diamond ring, and Barbara grinned even more.

“Congratulations, both of you!”

“Barbara?” She heard Bruce desperately trying to control his voice behind her. “Who are these friends of yours?”

Gasping, Harley turned to look at Bruce before looking back at Barbara. “Is that your guy?”

Barbara nodded.

“You get ‘em?”

Barbara nodded again, this time with a bright smile on her face.

Squealing, Harley hugged Barbara again. “I’m so happy for you, Babsie! And remember, if he does anything to you mean-like, anything at all -”

“You’ll be the first to know,” Barbara finished with a smile. “What are you two doing here?”

“Just stoppin’ by for a quick bite to eat before we head out of town. It’s our anniversary next week. We’ve been all official almost a year now!”

“Really? That’s amazing! We should celebrate!”

A loud truck horn sounded. Barbara and Harley turned to face the window, just in time to see another Ferris Cruises truck drive by.  _T_ _ropical cruise through the Bahamas, leaving every Friday from Miami! Call to make your reservation today!_

Barbara and Harley turned back to look at each other, identical grins on their faces. Bruce shot a look of horror at Ivy, who was furiously shaking her head back and forth.

“No way.”

“Absolutely not.”

\--

“I can’t believe you talked me into this.”

Laughing, Barbara pressed a warm kiss onto Bruce’s neck. The pair was currently cuddled up next to the pool, watching as Ivy, Harley and Hal’s Delta Squad taught Dick, Korri, some guy named Wade Wilson, Jason and Selina how to play water croquet. “It’s practically tradition, Bruce.”

“Really?” He murmured, pressing his lips against her ear. “How about we make some new traditions in that cabin of ours?”

“I like the sound of that."

Bruce thought back to the small black box currently waiting for him in his suitcase and grinned back at her. “So do I, beautiful. So do I.”


End file.
